About

$96,326

pledged of $50,000 goal

1,134

backers

Vampire the Masquerade

Twenty-one years ago, Vampire: the Masquerade hit the tabletop RPG
market like a black-clad bolt from Hell itself and changed the way games were
played forever. It wasn't just about playing a game; VtM changed
people's lives and defined a lifestyle. Last year, White Wolf created a
deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition to celebrate all that Vampire: the
Masquerade has meant to its creators and its fans and the response was
astounding. It was clear to us that the players want more classic VtM,
so we began work on the V20 Companion.

The V20 Companion

Developed and written by legendary VtM designer Justin Achilli,
in constant communication with players using the same Open Development
process we used with V20, this volume of new material examines
additional topics such as Titles within vampiric society, the effect of
technology on modern Kindred, terrifying locations around the world, and the
clanless Caitiff. We'd already planned that the V20 Companion would be
sold in PDF and Print on Demand formats, but then we began to hear that folks
wanted the book in a deluxe format to match V20: embossed black leather
cover, silver gilt-edged pages, a red silk bookmark, and of course, beautiful
full-color interior pages. After talking it over, Justin and I realized that Kickstarter
was the perfect way to make that deluxe dream a reality.

Why Kickstarter?

We like that Kickstarter will enable our fans — and anyone who loves
beautiful books and vampires — to be part of the creation of the V20
Companion. We're pursuing the same philosophy started with the Open
Development process of creating the book in concert with the players'
feedback. Additionally, we really like that the tiers of contributions and
rewards let fans be as involved as they want with the making of this deluxe
book.

So How Does This Work?

It's pretty easy. Contribute any amount you want, bearing in mind the levels
of contribution and their commensurate rewards over there on the right. If we
hit our $50K goal, you'll get the reward that goes with your level of
contribution. PDFs and Print on Demand versions will be made available first in
the form of a coupon from our online sales partner, DriveThruRPG. The Deluxe
V20 Companion will take several months from the closing date to print and
ship. Part of the reason we chose to use Kickstarter is the chance to
use a different front-end and then different shippers than we have used in the
past, so we'll have a firmer idea of when the Deluxe version will be in your
hands closer to print time. We will contact contributors in the upper tiers
with details on their rewards.

If we have contributions beyond our target number, we've planned an added reward for contributors:

At $100,000 of contributions, Justin and I will create an annotated
multi-media version PDF of the V20 Companion filled with soundbites,
video, and extra layers of text and sketches that detail the making of the book
and the choices we made along the way. (Expect a fair bit of sarcastic banter
and tomfoolery since we didn't always agree on direction.) We might also be
able to wrangle a guest appearance by our other V20 developer and
all-around good guy and LARPer Eddy Webb, with his own insights into
making books with such a devoted fan base.

Whatever the outcome, we're using this Kickstarter project to gauge the
players' interest in future Vampire and World of Darkness titles. Using
Kickstarter, we're able to produce books more quickly and deliver them directly
to the players, skipping the distribution system entirely. Simply put, if this
experiment works, we can make it a business model, and bring you more
supplementary World of Darkness material faster, and incorporate your feedback
at every step of the way.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

For folks in USA/Canada only: You'll receive a copy of the Deluxe V20 Companion, plus a free copy of the PDF (upgraded to Annotated PDF if that milestone is unlocked), your name (or your character's) listed on the credits page as Ancilla.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

For anyone not in USA/Canada, this covers shipping costs: You'll receive a copy of the Deluxe V20 Companion, plus a free copy of the PDF (upgraded to Annotated PDF if that milestone is unlocked), your name (or your character's) listed on the credits page as Ancilla.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

As above, plus you gain the questionable reward of a half-hour phone interview with Justin Achilli, and you are listed in the “Special Thanks” section (your nickname will likely be based on your conversation with Justin...).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 1,000 or more
About $1,000

As the $100 Elder package, plus you will be brought into the inner sanctum and participate in the creation of Hunters Hunted 2 as a Consulting Developer. You'll be included on every email exchange, Skype meeting, phone call, and exchange of threats and insults between Rich and Justin and the writers and artists from the beginning to the end of the book's creation.